In this Issue

“If your brand was delisted tomorrow, would anybody care?”

That’s the cold, hard question retailers and manufacturers need to confront. That was a key message Shannon Curtin, Walgreens group VP beauty, personal care and seasonal, had for attendees of a special one-day summit co-hosted by The Drug Store News Group and the Mack Elevation Forum in August. “Care equals long-term revenue potential. When there is no care, brands simply do not exist,” she said.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Energizer has made improvements to its Ultimate Lithium and Energizer Recharge AA and AAA batteries. Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries now hold power for up to 20 years when not in use. Energizer says that no other AA or AAA battery holds power longer, making Ultimate Lithium ideal for high-drain devices. Energizer Recharge AA batteries have also been infused with extended-life additives for a battery life of up to five years.

Creating a home destination center for diabetic patients stocked with products appropriate to their condition —not only including sugar tablets, gels and liquids, but also nutritional supplements, homeopathic products, skin creams and lotions, oral care solutions, pain relief products and hypoglycemic products — has gained in importance thanks to the price pressures associated with competitive bidding in the diabetes space.

One year after DSN’s groundbreaking ‘Gets Well’ issue, Rite Aid keeps growing profits and cred with shoppers and Wall St.

One year ago, DSN featured an exclusive report, “Rite Aid Gets Well,” on the cover of the Dec. 10, 2012 issue, examining how the company’s core strategy built around wellness empowerment was helping it turn around its business.

CINCINNATI — Foundations are increasingly infusing such skin care benefits as anti-aging ingredients and SPF protection, as evidenced by Procter & Gamble’s CoverGirl & Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Foundation.

It’s called medication synchronization, and the concept is simple enough — shifting patients to a synchronized, easy-to-comply-with, once-a-month prescription refill program so they can pick up all their medications with one visit to the pharmacy each month, instead of multiple trips.

Despite the buzz about BB and CC creams, eye makeup continues to be a rock star within the beauty space. More specifically, mascara remains a staple for most beauty mavens, and bold brows are making headlines as thin, over-plucked brows fall by the wayside.

(For the full category review, including sales data, click here.)

Today, sales of all self-diagnostic devices — including blood pressure monitors and glucose meters, as well as home-test kits and pregnancy test kits — stand at about $1 billion across food, drug and mass outlets, up slightly with a little more than 2% growth.

(For the full category review, including sales data, click here.)